This week in gluttony

Tacos top the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

An inaugural taco fest happens in Irving this week.

Irving Taco Festival

Tacos and margs are on the menu this week with two simultaneous festivals offering both. (One is 21 and up and one is family-friendly.) Gal pals with a passion for plants get a girls night out at a garden shop complete with chef bites and wine. Don't miss a preview pop-up of a new Dallas restaurant opening later this summer, plus a chance for $1 cookies and drinks from one of Dallas' most beloved bakeries.

Monday, June 1

Odd Muse Brewing New Beer Debut and Glass Giveaway
Award-winning local craft beer brewer will debut the release of its new summer beer with a "keep the glass" giveaway at its Farmers Branch location. The beer is a Strawberry Lager, which they say "smells like if someone planted tangerine trees in a strawberry field." The festivities begin at 6 pm and anyone who orders the lager gets a collectible 16-oz. Strawberry Hustle Nordic Cooler Glass while supplies last. (They'll host the same event at their Plano location on June 8.)

Tuesday, June 2

JD Chippery’s One-Year Anniversary
The longtime family-owned Dallas bakery is throwing a birthday party to mark one year at its Preston Royal location. Visit all day from 7 am-5 pm for $1 cookies (limit six) and from 12-2 pm for $1 drinks like house-brewed sweet tea, scratch lemonade, and limeades with fresh lime served in a collectible cup. There’ll also be an interactive photo booth and face painting from 12-2 pm.

Friday, June 5

Girls Night at Green Acres Nursery & Supply
The Melissa gardening and outdoor living store will host its first-ever girls night out – and it’s completely free. Guests can enjoy live cooking demos and complimentary barbecue bites from local celeb chef Noah Hester; free red, white, and sparkling wine from a wine trailer; live music; a bonfire with s’mores; raffle prizes; and event-day offers on patio furniture and more. The event takes place 6-8:30 pm.

Saturday, June 6

Irving Taco Festival
This inaugural taco and margarita fest will take place at the Toyota Music Factory with market vendors, live entertainment, yard games, and photo ops. Hosted by the International Margarita Organization, the event is free to attend but patrons can purchase a $25 VIP ticket for early entry, commemorative glass, and two complimentary drinks. The event will run from 4-11 pm, with VIP entry at noon. All ages welcome.

Frisco Margarita Festival
Sample 10 different margaritas from bars and restaurants around Frisco then vote for your favorite during this marg party taking place at Rollertown Beerworks. Tickets start at $43 for entry at 3 pm, with VIP tickets granting early entry at noon for $54. Tickets include one raffle entry to win a trip to Mexico. There’ll also be live DJ music, a beer garden, and street food vendors. The festival runs until 6 pm. Ages 21 and up only.

Midcult Society Pop-Up Dinner at Overeasy
The retro diner inside The Statler will host a pop-up dinner by Mike Stites and Evan Pemberton, the duo behind Midcult Society, which is set to open later this summer in Exposition Park. The a la carte menu will feature charbroiled oysters with Oaxaca queso and chorizo butter, coconut buttermilk biscuits with uni butter and ember honey, Viet-Cajun caramelized prawns, half chicken with hot sauce and citrus jus, and more. The dinner is reservation only from 5-10 pm. Email jamie@midcultsociety.com.

Shinsei After Dark
This 20th anniversary event benefiting the Texas Restaurant Foundation Relief Fund will have a Roaring Twenties theme this year, complete with classic cocktails and a costume contest to win a $200 gift card. Drinks and bites are included in the $100 ticket price, and the party will run from 9 pm-midnight.

Sunday, June 7

Steak Night at Easy Slider
The Dallas slider joint will cook up steaks for one night at its 3905 E. Side Ave. location. The special will include tots and asparagus plus salad and dessert for $48. The deal is sponsored by Maker’s Mark Whiskey, and there’ll be $6 Maker’s Mark old fashioneds for pairing. Available from 5-9 pm.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

chefs dinner tacos food events

Cocktail buzz

New Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge Marlowe shakes into Uptown Dallas

Rendering courtesy of Duncan Design Group

Rendering of the Marlowe cocktail lounge coming to 2912 McKinney Ave. in the fall.

A cocktail lounge coming to Uptown Dallas this fall will give night owls a new place to hang. Called Marlowe, it will open in September at 2912 McKinney Ave., in a space that most recently housed Theory Nightclub Uptown (which closed in June 2025), and before that, Avenu Lounge and Aura Lounge / Club Babalu.

A release calls Marlowe an "a richly layered hospitality experience where design, food, cocktails, music and service have been conceived to work together as one."

It will be open just Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 pm-2 am.

The project is led by Dallas hospitality entrepreneur Alon Abramov, who has more than a decade of experience developing and operating hospitality concepts, the release says. Thomas Menaitreau is operating partner and general manager, while Kyle Buckelew serves as beverage director and Garrett Swain, also known as DJ Zillamatic, is music programming director.

Marlowe is designed as a place where guests can drop in for drinks and a bite, stay for dinner, or swing by after dinner for a late-night drink, the owners say.

While few menu details are available yet, the food will be prepared without seed oils, they say. Early menu items include charred Matagorda Pearl oysters with garlic-lemon butter and parsley, along with beef skewers served with sumac tahini yogurt.

Buckelew, who led the bar team at just-opened Delilah Dallas, is overseeing the cocktail program. One of the early offerings revealed is an espresso martini made with salted caramel vodka, dulce de leche, espresso, and Demerara syrup.

The interior is designed by Duncan Design Group and takes cues from Art Deco and cinematic design, they say. The space will feature wood-vaulted ceilings, curved architectural elements, tiered seating, antique-mirror and marble bars, brass details, velvet seating, and a central stage. There's also an enclosed glass-and-brass patio with a birdcage-inspired structure. Music will be another major component, with Swain overseeing the programming.

Abramov says the idea for Marlowe started with the guest experience.

“Marlowe started with one question I’ve carried throughout my career: how should a guest feel the moment they walk through the door?” says Abramov in the release. “We’ve approached every decision through that lens. The lighting, music, design, cocktails, service and energy of the room all have to work together. We’re not interested in creating the biggest room — we want to create one of the most memorable, and a place people feel connected to enough to return to again and again.”

Menaitreau, who was born and raised in Strasbourg, France, has worked at Michelin-recognized restaurants including Fiola and Bresca in Washington, D.C., and Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.

“At Marlowe, every element should contribute to how a guest remembers the evening — not individually, but collectively,” Menaitreau says. “Our vision is to pair refinement with warmth and create an atmosphere where excellence feels natural, personal and never overly formal. Ultimately, we want every guest to leave feeling better than when they arrived.”

What is the significance of the name "Marlowe?" The release does not explain the name, and CultureMap has asked. Considering the logo is a penguin, it could possibly be a "Marlowe penguin," referring to the Penguin Classics editions of works by Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. Stand by for an update on the intriguing name.

The exact opening date, full menu, cocktail list, reservations and entertainment programming will be announced in the coming weeks, the owners say say.

bars cocktails uptown dallas

This week in gluttony

Tacos top the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Cocktail buzz

New Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge Marlowe shakes into Uptown Dallas

Dallas civic leader Calvert Collins-Bratton named Klyde Warren Park CEO

Dallas restaurant group to open modern Mexican spot in Grapevine

Frisco development Fields West adds more big-name shops and restaurants